Bulgarian Foreign Ministry Informs of ‘Obligations Assumed’ by Skopje

On Friday afternoon, Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry issued a press-release concerning, as it was said, the obligations assumed by North Macedonia at the meeting in Sofia on 17 June. Reiterating Sofia’s positions, the Ministry also revealed the items with regards to the obligations. According to the institution, North Macedonia assumed readiness for it to confirm as soon as possible before the UN that the name “Republic of North Macedonia” doesn’t mark the geographic region of Northern Macedonia, located in Bulgaria. After the delivery of that verbal note, Bulgaria will immediately stop insisting on the long name “Republic of North Macedonia” being used. The second item is that Skopje will stop the “minority aspirations” towards Bulgaria, confirming there are no historical, ethnic or other grounds to seek a minority status of any group of people. Third, it was added, North Macedonia should start a process to rehabilitate victims of SFRY communism repressed on its territory due to Bulgarian sentiments. According to the fourth item, an obligation was assumed for Skopje to adapt with Sofia the content of curricula aiming at objectively displaying the joint history as a central element in the preamble of the 2017 deal. Fifth, and last, joint identification and removal of signs and boards on North Macedonia’s territory that spread hatred towards Bulgaria and Bulgarians, it is said in the Ministry’s press-release.